Apparatus for treating fermentation-gas.



N0 MODEL.

PATEN J. F. WITTEMANN.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PERMENTATION GAS.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 31, 1998.

TED AUG. 2, 1904.

Z SEEETB-SHBET 1.

PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

J. F. WITTEMANN. APPARATUS FOR TREATING FERMBNTATION eAs;

ATrLIoATmx FILED 13110.31, 1m.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" ljjlllllil QVAQA A w A o 0 WWI "A H A UNTTED STATES Patented August 2,1904:.

PATENT OEEIcE.

J AOOB FREDERIO TVITTEBIANN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THEVITTEMANN COMPANY, OF NETV YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NElV YORK.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FERlVlENTATlON-GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,481, dated August2, 1904.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J ACOB FREDERIG \VITTE- MANN, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor TreatingFermentation-Gas; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating fermentation-gas toprepare it for the purpose of enlivening, vivifying, etheriz- I5 ing,and flavoring fermentated beverages or liquids after their fermentationhas subsided and they have become quiet or flat and have settled tobrightness by resaturatingthe same with the most desirable part of thegas recovered from fermentation, together with others carried over withsuch gas, the same being the product of their own fermentation or ofthat of a similar beverage.

\Vhile various apparatus have previously 5 been employed to reenlivenbeverages, as by the addition of pure carbonic-acid gas or byresaturation with gas taken either from the same beverage during itsfermentation or from similar fermenting liquids, it is found 3 that suchreenlivened beverages lack the natural agreeable tonic flavor and tastepossessed by beverages which have been allowed to undergo a secondaryfermentation under pressure either through the addition of yeast 55 orsometimes of so-called "yeast-food in the shape of sugar or by theaddition of a certain percentage of the same or a similar beverage inactive fermentation. In either case the containing vessels of such bev-4 'erages have to be of suiiicient strength and tightness to holdwithout appreciable loss the gas-pressure generated through thisafter-fermentation'or so much of it as it is desirable to retain.

In carrying out my invention 1 rack off a sufficient quantity of thebeverage under treatment when the same is in active fermentation in anordinary fermenting-vat and has raised a solid head in the first stageof the fermentation, when it may be skimmed, agi- 5 tated, orre-aerated, as the case may be, and such quantity of the fermentingbeverage is conducted into a closed cask or casks kept tight enough fora pressure of about ten pounds above that of the atmosphere, such vesselbeing filled within a short distance of its top. The fermentation of thebeverage being in active progress, the remaining space in said vesselsoon fills with the gases of fermentation, which displace any aircontained in the same, the air escaping through a suitable vent. Theabsence of air from the escaping gases can readily be detected by theodor, and the vent is then closed and a connection made to a gas-conduitleading to a 5 gas-compressor, this conduit having been previously freedof air either by a liquid or gas entering from the bottom upward.

The compressor may be of any ordinary construction, but with sufficientclearance in 7 its valves to allow for the carrying along with the gasto be compressed at suflioient quantity of cooling liquid to absorb theheat generated by the compression of the gas. Now the fermentation-gasis usually saturated with aromatic ethers, (usually about one-half percent.) and such ethcrs either diffuse or change their nature under theheatgenerated by compression, whereby a peculiar (mostly repulsive)flavor is imparted to beverages charged with fermentation-gas. Coolingon the outside of a comyn'ession-cylinder having proven insufficient toobviate this I, propose to feed a variable proportion of refrigeratedwater with the gas at each stroke of the compressor, and as 5 this watermust be free of air and has to feed into the compressor-cylinder againstthe pressure of the gas-supply I preferably carry it back from thedischarge-receiver to the compressor, means being provided forrefrigerat- 9 ing the said receiver, as by placing it within arefrigerated room, providing a refrigerating-coil within the receiver,or otherwise subjecting it to the action of a refrigerating medium. Asthe compressor discharges into said receiver pressure is graduallyraised in the same and the accumulated cooling liquid forced back intothe feed side of the compressor under the full pressure developed withinsaid receiver, communication being provided between such receiver andone or a series of storage-tanks to receive the gas after it hasseparated from the cooling liquid;

This receiver constitutes a purifier or gaswasher by reason ofthecombined compressed gas and cooling-water being discharged throughthe body of the receiver in subdivided form, the cooling-water passingthrough the body of gas accumulated within-the reservoir in a fineshower at each stroke or delivery of v cooling liquid becomes saturatedwith acid or other organic gases and becomes non-absorbent it isdischarged through a drain provided at the bottom of the receiver and isreplaced by a fresh supply of purifying liquid. I preferably employplain pure water as the cooling and washing medium; but any other liquidor solution may be used if it is desired to absorb any other componentpart of fermentation-gas than the free acid. If the fermentation-gas isintended for liquefaction, a strong oxidizing solution may be employed,such as a solution of permanganate of potash, for the purpose ofabsorbing not only acidvapors, but also the flavoring-ethers containedin the gas.

My experiments have shown that fermentation-gas in which thefermentation-ethers have remained in undisturbed condition cannotconveniently be cooled to the necessary low temperature to make it fitfor absorption by liquids except when kept for a sufficient length oftime (usually about one day) in one or more tight containers of not toolarge a size to allow the proper radiation of heat contained Within thegas.

The present invention, therefore, further provides for speedily andconveniently effecting the necessary refrigeration of thefermentation-gas so as to make it serviceable for the resaturation ofliquids, especially such as beer, wine, and similar beverages, byarranging a series of suitable containing vessels exposed to arefrigerating medium, as by erecting them in a cold compartment.

In practical use, the gas which has been cooled to the propertemperature in a containing vessel can be withdrawn, preferably from thebottom of the latter, and the pressure within said vessel allowed togradually diminish, or else a fresh supply of gas may be supplied intoits top, so as to gradually displace the cooler gas, which dischargesfrom the bot tom outlet. I preferably provide communieating pipesconnecting a series of such gasstorage tanks at both the top and bottom,each connection between such communicating pipes and the tanks beingequipped with a suitable valve or stop, so that the inlet or outlet ofeach tank may at any time be put into communication with the respectiveinlet or' discharge pipe or shut off from the same; but I may also makea continuous connection between such tanks, connecting the bottom out:let of one with the top inlet of the next communicating tank, thusforming, in elfect, one continuous container and providing for gradualdisplacement of the cooler gas contained therein by the fresh supply ofwarmer gas. Each tank is provided at the top with a vent and at thebottom with a drain for the purpose of drawing off any condensation fromthe same. In order to completely displace the air from such tanks beforethey are filled with the gas, I first fill them completely withpractically air-free water and then displace this water by the gasentering at the top, discharging the water. through the bottom drains.In saturating liquids with fermentation-gas thus prepared I provide aconnection between the storage tank or tanks and a separate apparatus orcarbonater, causing the gas before enterlng the carbonater to first passthrough a pressurereducing valve, next through a mo1sture-absorbingdevice, preferably consisting of a series of layers of felt or cottonfiber, and finallypast a thermometer, these devices being mounteddirectly on the carbonator or at any other convenient place. They may,however, be dispensed with, except the pressure-reducing valve, whichserves to maintain within said saturater or carbonater a supply of gasat a predetermined regular pressure. The beverage to be saturated issupplied under a pressure exceeding that at which the gaspressure ismaintained, preferably by about three to five pounds, and in entering itfirst passes a supply-regulating valve, which is controlled by a rodcommunicating with the balanced support of an overflow-tank, the latterbeing in communication with'both the top and bottom of the saturatingapparatus, so that the liquid-level within the carbonater is ind-icatedby said overflow-tank and the liquidsupply controlled thereby.

The overflow-tank is preferably made of ahorizontal pattern, so as tocause a slight variation' in the liquid-level to have an action on theliquid-supply valve.-

The drawings which accompany and form part of this specificationillustrate my improved apparatus-above explained, and pointed out in theappended claims.

Figure I represents chiefly in side elevation an apparatus for carryingout the invention, certain parts being shown broken away and in section.Fig. II shows the lower portion of the saturator or carbonator lookingfrom the right of Fig. I with some parts broken away and in section.Fig. 111 is a sectionalized side elevation of a portion of thecompressor-cylinder and some adjacent parts, showing the connection forthe cooling liquid. Fig. 1V shows the receiver in front elevation,together with a series of gas-containers or storage-tanks somewhatdifi'erently arranged than those appearing in Fig. 1.

The letter a designates a pipe which leads from one or morefermentation-casks in which active fermentation is in progress, saidpipe being shown as extending horizontally and connected by a suitableunion with a safetyvalve 1: and with a vertical pipe-section a, which isin turn connected by a union 4 with a short horizontal section aentering the side of the compressor-cylinder b. The compressor A is ofthe well-known double-acting type, so that at each stroke of its pistonZ) a charge of gas will be drawn into the cylinder from thefermentation-casks, while another charge previously taken in on theopposite side of the piston is being compressed and discharged. Infurtherance of the chief object of my invention a pipe 0 is arranged tocommunicate at the point 0 (see Fig. III) with the compressor-cylinder,this pipe being shown as a branch of a pipe 0 which communicates with asupply of refrigerated liquid, so that with each stroke of the piston 6a charge of this refrigerated liquid may be drawn in with the gas. Themixture of gas and liquid is discharged from the compressorcylinderthrough a pipe (Z, which extends through a vertical wall a, dividing thecompartment in which the compressor is located from a compartment B,which is maintained at a very low temperature by any suitable means.Within this cold compartment a tank f rests upon the floor near thepartition 6 and constitutes a receiver for the mixture of gas andliquid, the pipe (Z entering the top of said tank and communicating witha nozzle d, which is slitted or perforated so as to subdivide thecommingled gas and liquid, whereby a washing effect is had as the liquiddischarges in a shower of fine spray through the body of gas within thereceiver. The liquid collects in the bottom of the receiver, and Ipreferably extend a pipe 7 from the lower portion of the receiver to thecold-liquid-supply pipe 0 and arrange a valve 0" in the union-couplingwhich connects the pipes g, 0 and 0, so as to provide for circulatingthe supply of cooling liquid until it becomes non-absorbent. Ashereinbefore stated, the object of this cir- V culating system is toprovide for conveniently receiver will eventually exert a pressure on"the liquid collected in the bottom of the receiver sutficient for thispurpose.

As hereinbefore stated, the receiver f also constitutes a gas washer orpurifier by reason of the mixture of gas and liquid being dischargedtherein in subdivided form, the liquid in passing through the body ofgas in the form of fine spray being adapted to absorb the volatile-acidvapor usually in mixture with fermentation-gas which arises fresh fromany fermentingbeverage. When the charge of liquid becomes non-absorbent,it is drawn ofi by means of a drain-cock f at the bottom of the receiverand a fresh charge of refrig erated liquid is admitted through the pipe0 In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 a series of storage-tanks 71 restside by side upon the floor of the cold-room B, the bottom of the firsttank being connected with the top of the second tank and the bottom ofthelatter with the top of the third tank by pipes it, so that thesetanks form, in effect, one container. The first tank of the series isconnected with the top of the receiver f by a pipe f which enters thetop portion of said storage-tank, and the bottom portion of the lasttank of the series has an outlet-pipe if fitted to its lower portion anddesigned to convey the gas to a saturating ap-' paratns. Each of thetanks it has an air-vent [t at the top and a drain-cock If at thebottom. Gas-pressure in the tanks can be read by a gage 71f, which isconnected by a pipe It with the first tank of the series, said gagebeing mounted in a panel also containing gages a andf, connected bypipes a, and f with the union (1 and the receiver f, respectively.

The saturating apparatus or carbonater here shown is of a well-knowntype and comprises a tank i, into the top of which a pipe '5 enters tosupply the flat beer or other beverage to be recharged and out of thebottom of which leads a pipe i for drawing off the charged liquid. Aconstant head of liquid is maintained within the tank i in a well-knownmanner by means of a horizontally-disposed floating cyl inder Z,communicating with both the top and bottom of the tank by pipes 1 and 2'and suspended from one end of a lever i by a chain 1',

the opposite end of the lever being formed for adjustment thereon of acounter-balancingweight 1'7 and being connected by a rod j with a valve1" in a casing j with which the pipe '0 communicates. A flat-beer-supplypipe in also communicates with this casing through an elbow Zr, uponwhich is mounted a sightglass Z1 and a pressure-indicator k.

The gas-pipe It joins the casing of an expansion-cock h", from which asmaller pipe If leads to a casing m, having a gage m mounted thereon anda pressure-reducing valve m contained therein. nication with a filter n,and a pipe-section n It will be un- This casing is in commu leads fromthe latter into the top of the carbonater-tank vi, a gage 77, beingmounted upon said pipe-section and also a thermometer 7?. By means ofthe gages above mentioned the gas-pressure can be accurately determined,and with the thermometer in communication with the gas-conduit thetemperature of the gas entering the carbonater is predetermined. Themixture of this gas with the flat beer, or, in other Words, thesaturation of the latter with gas, takes place in a well-known way, thebeverage being supplied under a pressure somewhat exceeding that atwhich the gas is maintained and said beverage being discharged into thecarbonater-tank in subdivided form.

In Fig. IV the storage apparatus is shown somewhat differently arrangedthan in Fig. I. Three tanks 0 stand side by side in the coldroom, as inthe previously-described arrangement, not, however, being connected inseries, but having their top portions connected by vertically-extendingpipes 0 with a horizontally-extending pipe 0 leading from the top of thereceiver f, the unions connect.- ing the pipes 0 and the pipe 0 beingprovided with valves 0 so that the tanks may be independently chargedwith gas. The arrangement for discharging gas from the tanks is of asimilar nature, comprising a pipe 19, extending horizontally along thethree tanks and having branches entering the lower portions of the tanksand connected with said pipe p by unions 1?, containing valves 12 Inthis last-described storage arrangement there is a gage q for each tank,such gage being located in frontof the tank and connected with the topthereof by a pipe (1. A common drainpipe 1" extends along underneath thetanks connecting with the interiors of the latter by means of valvedunions r.

The manner in which my present invention is carried out by the form ofapparatus above described with reference to the drawings will beunderstood from the statement of invention preceding the description, sothat no further explanation is considered necessary.

It will of course be understood that I am not limited to the particularform and arrangement of the said apparatus and that other forms orembodiments can be employed and still be within the scope of inventionintended to be embraced herein.

I lay no claim herein to the process disclosed by the above descriptionand the accompanying drawings, since such process forms thesubject-matter of a separate application, filed March 16, 1900, SerialNo. 8,991, and which application is a division of the present case,

Having thusfully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a conduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermenting vesselscontaining a refrigerated liquid under pressure of gas generated byfermentation, a supplypipe carrying a refrigerated fluid, means forrefrigerating said fluid, and a combined liquid and gas compressorhaving suitable connection on the supply side thereof with said conduit,a valved connection leading from said pipe to the supply side of saidcompressor, a receiver, a pipe connecting the latter with the deliveryside of the compressor, and said receiver having communication with saidsupply-pipe for returning the cold fluid to the compressor underpressure of the gas in said receiver, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a conduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermenting vessels, afluidsupply pipe carrying refrigerated fluid, means for refrigeratingsaid fluid a compressor having suitable connection on the supply sidethereof with said conduit, a valved connection leading from said pipealso to the supply side of said compressor, a receiver, a pipeconnecting the latter with the delivery side of the compressor, meansfor discharging the cold fluid from the receiver at will, and means forreturning the fluid to the compressor under pressure of the gas in saidreceiver, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a conduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermenting vessels, afluidsupply pipe carrying refrigerated fluid, means for refrigeratingsaid fluid, a compressor having suitable connection on the supply sidethereof with said conduit, a valved connection leading from said pipealso to the supply side of said compressor, a receiver, a valved pipeconnecting the latter with the delivery side of the compressor, andprovided with a spraynozzle on the inner side of said receiver, andmeans for returning the fluid to the compressor under pressure of thegas in the receiver, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a conduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermenting vessels,afluidsupply pipe carrying refrigerated fluid, means for refrigeratingsaid fluid, a compressor having suitable connection on the supply sidethereof with said conduit, a valved connection leading from said pipealso to the supply side of said compressor, a receiver, a valved pipeconnecting the latter with the delivery side of the compressor, andprovided with a spraynozzle on the inner side of said receiver, meansfor discharging the cold fluid from the receiver at will, and means forreturning the fluid to the compressor under pressure of the gas in saidreceiver, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a conduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermenting vessels, afluidsupply pipe carrying refrigerated fluid, means forrefrigeratingsaid fluid, a compressor having suitable connection on thesupply side thereof with said conduit, a valved connection leading fromsaid pipe also to the supply side of said compressor, a receiver, a pipeconnecting the latter with the delivery side of the compressor, and acold-fluid-return pipe leading from the lower part of the receiver tosaid valved connection, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, aconduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermenting vessels, afluidsupply pipe carrying refrigerated fluid, means for refrigeratingsaid fluid, a compressor having suitable connection on the supply sidethereof with said conduit, a valved connection leading from said pipealso to the supply side of said compressor, a receiver, a valved pipeconnecting the latter with the delivery side of the compressor, andprovided with a spraynozzle on the inner side of said receiver, and acold-fluid pipe leading from the lower part of the receiver to saidvalved connection, substantially as described.

7 In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, a conduit forfermentation-gas leading from one or more closed fermentation vessels, afluidsupply pipe carrying refrigerated fluid, means for refrigeratingsaid fluid, a compressor having suitable connection on the supply sidethereof with said conduit, a valved connection leading from said pipealso to the supply side of said compressor, a receiver, a pipeconnecting the latter with the delivery side of the compressor, meansfor returning the cold fluid to the compressor under pressure of the gasin the receiver, and one or more gas-storage tanks in communication withsaid receiver, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aconduit leading from one or more fermenting-vats, a compressor in theform of a pump having a suitably-valved connection on the supply sidewith said conduit, a receiver, a suitably-valved conduit leading fromthe pump in the delivery side thereof and entering said receiver, pipingconnecting the receiver with the fermentation-gas conduit on the supplyside of the pump and having provision for admitting a charge of coldfluid for circulation between the pump and receiver, and a coldcompartment inclosing the receiver, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

9. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, the combination of aconduit leading from one or more fermenting-vats, a compressor in theform of a pump having a suitably-valved connection on the supply sidewith said conduit, a receiver, a suitably-valved conduit leading fromthe pump on the delivery side thereof and entering said receiver, pipingconnecting the receiver with the fermentation-gas conduit on the supplyside of the pump and having provision for admitting a charge of coldfluid for circulation between the pump and receiver, one or moregas-storage tanks in communication with the receiver, and a coldcompartment inclosing the receiver and said storage-tanks.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB FREDERIC WITTEMANN.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. SPINDLER, J osurn H. STADELMAN.

